New in Town

May 24, 2021
After the bridge that joins the village of Puddletrunk to the mainland is mysteriously eaten by termites—again—green, pointy-eared Mortimer Gulch sets about organizing a repair fund for the bridge’s 273rd replacement. Wearing an impressive string of fashionable suits, Gulch squeezes the villagers out of resources with a smarmy, unsettling grin. When a stout clock repairman who is “new in town... and did not know how things worked,” offers to repair the clock tower in lieu of contributing, readers know instantly that the refusal will cause trouble. Cornell (Chapter Two Is Missing) pits the diminutive, tan-skinned newcomer against Mr. Gulch, whose cultlike sway over the villagers is seen in their subservient offerings of lemonade and hot dogs during the bridge-building. Grinch-like menace meets Bartleby-esque certitude in a cuckoo-clock European village whose candy-colored fuschias, oranges, and powder blues are lit with warm, cinematic accents and embellished with flourishes of hand-lettered type. Pure entertainment is on offer here; there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing an evildoer get his comeuppance and an unlikely hero prevail, and Cornell delivers. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

December 1, 2021

K-Gr 2-The people of Puddletrunk are being swindled out of their money and jewels by a shady resident named Mortimer Gulch. Speaking as an expert in bridge-building, Gulch convinces them termites have destroyed their beloved bridge for the 273rd time. When a traveling clock repairman offers free work on the clock tower in exchange for his share of the donation for the repair of the bridge, Mortimer lets slip his "toothy" true identity. By morning, a secure and cost efficient bridge is built, and the people of Puddletrunk can celebrate the real hero in town. Cornell's (Go to Sleep, Monster) illustrations contain fantastical teetering structures set atop a tall cliff, and whimsical characters who have adapted to living in isolation surrounded by the clouds in the sky. VERDICT This will capture young readers' hearts and imaginations with its messages of open-mindedness and creativity when it comes to inviting new ideas and people into one's life.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake P. L., Alta.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2021
Here's a classic David vs. Goliath tale, with a twist -- or possibly more than one. The town of Puddletrunk, a higglety-pigglety, near-vertical construction on a tiny circle of land, is separated from the mainland by a deep chasm. The wooden bridges that span the chasm collapse with disturbing regularity -- destroyed, apparently, by termites. A large bridge troll with bright green skin who towers over the other residents -- "the fabulous Mortimer Gulch!!!" gushes the effusive and clueless narrator -- bilks the residents of their money and possessions to pay for succeeding new bridges. (They're now on #272.) Then a newcomer, a diminutive clock repairman, arrives to rebuild the town's crumbling clock tower; he seems curiously immune to the troll's grift. And that grift is even greater than we first suspect, because it transpires that Mr. Gulch, not termites at all, is the culprit/bridge chewer. One night, he gnaws at the base of the (now fully repaired) clock tower -- "Just as delicious as bridges!" enthuses the narrator -- causing the tower to fall over. But when it does, it exactly spans the width of the chasm, becoming a strong, sturdy, covered bridge. The town rejoices, Mr. Gulch slinks off into the night...and the narrator still doesn't get it. The book's success lies in the sliminess of Mr. Gulch; the surprise outcome; the many clever details in the illustrations (including a blueprint that reveals what the repairman intended, all along); and the mismatch between the narration and the story being told in the illustrations. The palette's lurid colors, the exaggerated figures, even the curlicue font all match and reinforce the over-the-top, funny, and many-times-pore-over-able story. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from July 1, 2021
A crafty bridge troll, suspicious termites, and an ambitious tower project figure into a meticulously detailed and playful outing. The precariously poised town of Puddletrunk, which rests on an island, has a big problem. Its hundreds of attempts at building a bridge to the outside world continually fail due to termites. That's to the benefit of Mortimer Gulch, a green bridge troll who is more than happy to keep attempting new bridge projects as long as the town keeps filling his pockets with cash and jewelry. Gulch has a problem of his own: a newly arrived traveling repairman, a man of color, who's interested in rebuilding the clock tower. The repairman, who's determined to protect his materials from termites, stands in the way of Gulch's scheme; it turns out the troll is destroying the bridges himself and blaming the collapses on nonexistent vermin. Gulch's greed ultimately backfires in a satisfying conclusion that finds the repairman staying to continue improving Puddletrunk. Though the plot is a simple reversal, the book's comedically styled design, with visual jokes and bits of town business happening along the edges of every page, makes for an extremely engaging read that's worth repeating. From Gulch's lemonade and hot dogs to the pinned-up documentation of each bridge project, Cornell's paintings are stuffed with wit. Even the curling storybook type does a little bit of lifting in a book that doesn't miss any opportunities to delight. When the town finally overcomes its bridge dilemma, "Everyone enjoy[s] themselves immensely!" Readers will, too. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A towering achievement. (Picture book. 4-8)

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July 1, 2021
Here's a classic David vs. Goliath tale, with a twist -- or possibly more than one. The town of Puddletrunk, a higglety-pigglety, near-vertical construction on a tiny circle of land, is separated from the mainland by a deep chasm. The wooden bridges that span the chasm collapse with disturbing regularity -- destroyed, apparently, by termites. A large bridge troll with bright green skin who towers over the other residents -- "the fabulous Mortimer Gulch!!!" gushes the effusive and clueless narrator -- bilks the residents of their money and possessions to pay for succeeding new bridges. (They're now on #272.) Then a newcomer, a diminutive clock repairman, arrives to rebuild the town's crumbling clock tower; he seems curiously immune to the troll's grift. And that grift is even greater than we first suspect, because it transpires that Mr. Gulch, not termites at all, is the culprit/bridge chewer. One night, he gnaws at the base of the (now fully repaired) clock tower -- "Just as delicious as bridges!" enthuses the narrator -- causing the tower to fall over. But when it does, it exactly spans the width of the chasm, becoming a strong, sturdy, covered bridge. The town rejoices, Mr. Gulch slinks off into the night...and the narrator still doesn't get it. The book's success lies in the sliminess of Mr. Gulch; the surprise outcome; the many clever details in the illustrations (including a blueprint that reveals what the repairman intended, all along); and the mismatch between the narration and the story being told in the illustrations. The palette's lurid colors, the exaggerated figures, even the curlicue font all match and reinforce the over-the-top, funny, and many-times-pore-over-able story.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)